Hi there faithful blog readers!

Sorry for leaving you with Christmas photos as the last update for so long! Life has been plodding on here in LA... we have been fighting the temptation to feel bitter and twisted about the fact that the UK has been enjoying better weather than we've been having over the past week or so... AND we've missed out on FOUR UK bank holidays over Easter and the royal wedding! Humph!

The coverage of the royal wedding is hilarious out here - "what WILL the Queen be wearing on the big day? Find out, at 11"... I have to confess to feeling slightly nostalgic about being so far away for such an historic national event... AND (even more importantly), I am missing my neice's first BIRTHDAY party! Humph! Happy Birthday, Ffion!

The main highlight of the last week was that last Saturday I brushed shoulders with John Lock from 'Lost' as I was walking down Main St in Venice - my first real celebrity spot since moving here! Of course, I played it cool - being a 'local' you have to act like this kind of thing happens all the time and appear to be entirely unimpressed by whichever star you happen to see!

The main lowlight is that Daniel has contracted ANOTHER cough - this time it has really gone to his chest and he is hacking away... even though his eyes are bloodshot and he's full of snot, he still manages to smile as often as he can between coughing fits... what a little trooper. Thankfully he is still managing to sleep fairly well, which is a major blessing. We're praying that his little body fights this off quickly...

One other update that you'll be pleased to hear is that Daniel HAS (at long last) learnt how to get down from standing (phew!). He is not yet standing independently or walking (although he pulls himself up and side steps alongside all our furniture) - but he did climb up into his push-chair (or 'stroller') today! I don't think it will be long before we have a fully mobile toddler on our hands! Yikes!

Enjoy the royal wedding - we're recording it (coverage starts at 1am our time)... God save the Queen!